STOP BITING 

IF YOUR AIR IS RIGHT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BITE! #merch #tshirt #catchphrase #trademark

In 1965 when I, as a high school junior, began study with Joe Allard, I used excessive pressure and did bite down on the mouthpiece to a point where my teeth left indentations on the mouthpiece. The first exercise he used with me was the one you featured first on this video (inverting the reed, lip on top). It did take a while before I reduced the pressure. I still use this with my students.

People bite to start, sustain, or clarify the sound because they have to. Why? Their reeds are poorly balanced. When a reed is badly balanced it will produce uneven response, and a breathy sound, especially at softer dynamics. Biting has nothing to do with air pressure. The issue is fine reed balance, period. Further, they must add a certain pressure control to the reed, but not by clamping the reed (biting) with the lower jaw. Using the friction rather than the clamping method yields the best results by far. I describe this in my book, The Educator's Guide to the Clarinet, but even then when the reed is poorly balanced you will be forced in some degree to use upward jaw pressure to force the reed into responding or producing a clear sound. Learn to test for and balance the reed. Then playing will be a whole lot easier and less taxing on the embouchure. If you don't you will be FORCED to bite to start, sustain, and clarify the quality of the sound. Just as a closing remark, you should know over 90+ percent of reeds are poorly balanced out of the box.

At first I thought your sub count was 768k. wow. You make great videos!

Very nice tips, Dale. Here are my tips to help sax players with their embouchure. I used too hard reeds when I was young because the intonation seemed so much easier with the harder reeds. I noticed how saxophonists that use softer reeds have much more expression in their sound, so I learned to use softer reeds. When I started playing softer reeds, it was difficult at first, but this helped me to use much less pressure. This helped me to play all of the saxes (soprano, alto, tenor, and bari) with a much more beautiful and expressive sound. When I was young, I learned the jazz embouchure by accident (I was taught the classical type embouchure). When I practiced my extremely loud long tones, this forced me to push by bottom lip out more to get that powerful sound. I didn't even know there was a jazz type embouchure. When I saw saxophonists teaching the jazz embouchure on RU-vid in recent years, I realized that is the embouchure I use. I only play jazz and dance club music now, so I never use the classical type embouchure anymore. Jazz saxophonists can avoid the biting by using the jazz embouchure instead of the classical embouchure. If you play in a concert band, you should keep using the classical type embouchure... you just have to learn to use your muscles around your mouth to support your mouthpiece and not your bottom teeth. A big thing that can help you get the correct mouthpiece placement in your mouth is being able to play the whole range without moving your embouchure. You have to get the point where the reed separates from the mouthpiece (towards the tip) over your bottom lip. If you get the mouthpiece in the correct position, you can play quick octaves (even 16th notes) without changing your embouchure. Most people have a slight overbite, and it is recommended to sax players to move your bottom jaw forward, if it is comfortable to do so... if not, you might have to move your mouth over the mouthpiece a little more. I've seen a guy on RU-vid ("Get Your Sax Together" channel) now teach a third type of saxophone embouchure (very close to the jazz embouchure), where you make both lips pucker out a little (like a kiss). I think Michael Lington uses this embouchure.

Hi Dale. I found your clip Stop biting really helpful for all of us. You said something interesting about the old teacher Donald Montanaro. I've watched all his clips on RU-vid. You said that he was able to set the right placement of tong for student for just about one hour lesson. Honestly, I've got a long term problem with my tonguing. No matter how hard I've tried to fix it, anyway, I still can hear some little air interval between my tong attack and the actual moment of beginning of the sound. Any idea how can I fix this? Would be nice also if you'd explain the Montanaro tong method with your own words. Many thanks for all your lessons on RU-vid. Alex.

This is a great video! Very helpful, thank you

I really enjoy your videos, thanks. I sure wish in this one I could see your hands however. Have you considered showing the fingers?

In my view, Joe Allard's techniques are the way to go for single-lip embouchure and solve all the problems of excessive biting and inefficient air. It gives all the benefits of double-lip embouchure, without the discomfort for those with sharpish upper front teeth. Provides more tonal flexibility too.

I studied with Robert Marcellus and I don’t remember him having any biting problem. He emphasized a very fast, intense air stream, very well focused with a high tongue position in the mouth, and well supported with the lower abdomen flexed outward. He used pretty heavy reeds, but they always were beautifully balanced and responsive.

There are a few players who use some kind of jaw force, like Steve Williamson and Marcellus, as you pointed out, though perhaps it isn't the best for students to begin with, even if that want that kind of sound. Great video! I love these exercises.

This is MIND-BLOWING!!! Great tutorial... What exercise is good for training air pressure / support?

Hi, thanks for these great exercises! I was wondering how long were supposed to do the first backward mouthpiece exercise tho? Like for the whole session or just a part of it? I noticed I do it correctly but then when I go back to the mouthpiece being in position, I bite again... what do you recommend I do?

Wondering if there is any difference between a "quality superior" Lelandais and one that does not have the etched on the side?? cheers

Very Arnold Jacobs 🤓

I have a problem where when I use more air my biting increases and I don't know why.

Switching from biting to this method, does this require a lower/higher reed or should everything remain the same? I've never been able to get a good sound without biting :/

Dear Dale, can you do a video explaining how you work ok your reeds? I listen to your videos and I assume you work the tip of your reeds

Are you actually claiming that you play the whole range of the instrument using the tongue position for high F? Or have I misunderstood your video?

Thank you for this!! I truly appreciate it! I tried this exercise and my E came out just fine with a slur, but my lower lip always ends up some teeth mark. It doesn't hurt as much as it used to but is it alright, or am I still biting? I played with french embouchure for a couple of years (exclusively just that) but I switched back because it was hard to perform standing up, so the double lip sound and single lip sound are very similar sounding but still there's a teeth mark. I must be doing something wrong but I don't know what. Would you please help me with this?

I don't understand the steps of the exercise. The description went by too fast for me. Start on which note, and change to which note? Thank you, at least I can try turning my clarinet over.

hello, i'm feeling pain in my teeth, do u think this can help?

What's the name of school, after double lip? Can't hear

Montanaro was a student of Gigliotti & Serpentini!

This is amazing!!!!

My god what a technic

👍SIR,,,Can you add some scale to this contents?

🥇Sir,Thank you very much : )

Very good!!!! Maestro!

👍Teacher, please explain more slowly.....

Awesome

guisganderie!

I wish your hands and fingers could be seen while you were playing!

Just stating the obvious 🫤